


on my sleeve (my heart)

by hanyauku



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Childhood Friends, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Mutual Pining, a lot of the dialogue comes off of various inccorect quotes blogs, kind of, this is based on the office!, uhhh theres a lot of jst..unnecessary stuff?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-26
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-07 00:06:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12829056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanyauku/pseuds/hanyauku
Summary: yoo kihyun worries about his mental sanity as he stumbles down the abyss that is lee minhyukalternatively: kihyun discovers working at a tiny startup with your childhood best friend and longtime-crush is a catalyst for a lot of things, namely your own demise





	1. Chapter 1

Yoo Kihyun first meets Lee Minhyuk on a hot summer day – specifically the summer before the third grade. 

He’s sitting on a little stool out in his driveway, a small plastic table carefully placed on the sidewalk in front of him. Little paper cups are stacked in tall mountains on the table, his small, chubby hands playing with the handle of a jug of lemonade he made in his kitchen five minutes ago–the freshest of products.

Yoo Kihyun, age seven, is an entrepreneur.

He hangs a little sign by the sidewalk, the price for a cup of lemonade scrawled across the white canvas in his best markers and best handwriting.

Kihyun is professional.

He reaches down to pull out his stack of “professional business cards”, purple crayon scribbling his name and the word  _ ‘lemonade’ _ over a stack of index cards.

His mom calls this “a waste of paper”.

Kihyun thinks it’s an investment.

As he arranges them neatly on the edge of the table, a sudden flurry of movement across the street catches his eye. 

When he looks up, a skinny boy with too-long arms and legs is dragging a cardboard box out of his house and onto his lawn. Behind him, he drags a red wagon, brimming with plastic jugs of store bought jugs and paper cups. 

The wagon hits a rock, and a tower of cups spill over the side, tumbling into the soft dirt of his lawn.

Kihyun watches as the boy stops, bends down, picks up the stack of cups, and with a furtive glance to his surroundings, quickly blows on them before dropping them onto the upturned cardboard box, a makeshift table of sorts.

Then, the boy pulls out one of the plastic jugs of lemonade, tipping it into a clean pitcher.

Kihyun’s brows furrow, then smooth out in understanding as he watches the boy stick a sign out in front of the table, “homemade lemonade!” messily scrawled across the smudged paper.

This is an _abomination_.

The boy quickly runs around to the back of the table and pushes the wagon filled with store-bought lemonade behind a bush, out of sight.

Then, he pulls a little stool out behind the cardboard box and sits there, elbows propped up on the top of the box as he nestles his chin into his palms. He slouches a bit and purses his lips, waiting for business.

Kihyun pushes his glasses up on the bridge of his nose with a sweaty knuckle, sniffing.

This boy is bad news.

Kihyun watches as the boy fiddles with the stack of paper cups, chin jutted out as he huffs out a bored sigh. He looks up from his box and meets Kihyun’s eyes, lips twitching into a big smile.

Kihyun ignores him, looking back down at his pristine, white table, sniffing as he hears the telltale sounds of shoes slapping the sidewalk growing nearer.

When he looks back up, the long-legged boy is standing in front of him, grinning a crooked smile as he holds out a sticky hand.

“Hi! I’m Minhyuk! I just moved here!” He singsongs, eyes glittering. “I’m selling lemonade, too!”

Kihyun sniffs, nose upturned as he crosses both arms across his chest. “My name is Kihyun and I’m selling  _ real _ lemonade,” he replies, nose twitching as his glasses ride up his face. “And this is  _ my _ territory.”

Minhyuk’s smile fades a little bit, brows furrowed in confusion. “I’m selling real lemonade, though? I tried selling yellow water one time but my mommy caught me and she got mad.”

A repeat offender, then.

Kihyun frowns. “That’s bad. Honestability is the most important thing of a business. I would know. I read a flier at my dad’s office.”

Minhyuk smiles, although this time the smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes and it seems a bit strained. “Okay! Bye!” And with that, he’s turning on his heel and walking back to his cardboard box.

Kihyun seethes under his breath.

Five minutes later, there’s a line of six people standing in front of Minhyuk’s cardboard box, cooing over the messy handwriting and lopsided box, ready with a 500 won coin in their hands.

Kihyun stares longingly across the street, eyeing the line of customers and grieving over his line of exactly zero people, before he catches Minhyuk’s eye.

He gets a cheeky smile and a wave in return, sarcastic and mocking.

A sudden surge of unbridled rage fills Kihyun’s chest and he stands, knocking his stool over in the process, marching across the street.

Minhyuk is on his fifth customer when Kihyun makes it to his stand, tapping the last man in line on the leg.

“Hello? Mister?” Kihyun begins, pushing up his glasses as the man turns around. “He’s lying! That’s lemonade from the store and he dropped those cups on the ground! You’re gonna drink dirt lemonade!”

The man furrows his eyebrows as he turns to look at Minhyuk questioningly. His response comes in the form of Minhyuk propping his face up in his hands, smiling angelically.

“I would never lie, mister,” Minhyuk says. “I just wanna sell my lemonade so I can buy my own table.” He pouts a bit, and the man seems to melt at that, nodding.

Two minutes later, the man leaves, holding five dirty paper cups of store bought lemonade.

Kihyun stares daggers at him, mourning the loss of a customer ever since this  _ abomination _ stumbled into his territory.

When he turns his head back to look at Minhyuk, the boy has a pout painted across his lips. “Why did you do that, Kihyunnie?”

“First of all,” Kihyun snaps, pushing his glasses up his sweaty nose bridge, “don’t call me Kihyunnie. Second of all, you’re stealing my customers!”

Minhyuk pauses at this, finger tapping his chin contemplatively. “Am I?” His face brightens. “Then come sell lemonade with me!”

Kihyun balks. “No! You’re selling fake lemonade!”

“We’ll sell the lemonade you made! And we’ll get more customers!” 

Kihyun mulls over the proposition. Weighs his options. Either keeps his pride or makes money. 

Yoo Kihyun is, after all, an entrepreneur. 

He sighs. “Okay, I guess.”

And thus begins his friendship with Lee Minhyuk.

/

Elementary school with Minhyuk includes opening up seven other lemonade stands around Seoul and rolling in 500 won coins until their parents find out. 

Minhyuk is visibly upset, chubby legs flailing angrily as he tries to explain to their parents that ‘ _ it’s a business, mom, god, don’t you get it?’ _

Unfortunately, it seems that neither Kihyun nor Minhyuk’s parents do, in fact, get it.

“What do we do now?” Kihyun asks, rubbing his nose as he sits out on Minhyuk front porch, sipping apple juice through a straw. He kicks his legs back and forth as Minhyuk paces across the sidewalk in front of him. “My mommy said what we did was not very honestible.”

Minhyuk crosses his arms across his chest. “We gotta make more money, Kihyunnie–”

“Stop calling me that!”

“–and I think I know how.”

Minhyuk is  _ different _ , for lack of better word, Kihyun finds.

After his parents shut down their lemonade venture, Minhyuk opens up a business of his own in school, one that carries well into middle school, and into their second year of high school.

Lee Minhyuk begins a homework business.

Kihyun thinks it’s an abomination.

“Are you doing Wonwoo’s homework again? He’ll never learn if you don’t let him do it,” Kihyun sighs, pulling his textbook out from his backpack as he watches Minhyuk scribble his messy handwriting over a worksheet.

Minhyuk looks up, obsidian locks falling into his eyes. “Yeah,” he responds, blowing up at his bangs. “Wonwoo doesn’t really understand calculus.” 

“And  _ you _ do?”

Minhyuk gnaws on his lip as he types something into the calculator. “Yeah. Memorized the textbook. It’s actually pretty easy.”

“How does it make sense?” Kihyun exclaims, brows furrowed. “I studied two days for that last test! And I still got an eighty!”

Minhyuk grants him an unimpressed glance. “I still got a better grade than you.”

“Fuck you.”

/

The third year of high school does something to Kihyun’s eyes. 

Minhyuk grows a little taller, his limbs now in proportion to the rest of him. His smile gets brighter, laughter less annoying, and Kihyun actually  _ likes _ it when he talks.

Kihyun determines he needs to get his eyes checked.

Minhyuk decides to ditch the homework business in favor of a new game he has:  _ Overwatch _ .

He goes a full five days on an Overwatch streak and refuses to shower throughout the whole thing. 

Kihyun is disgusted.

He stays over at Minhyuk’s house the last four days of winter break, watching as his best friend pulls a bulky headset over ears and plays the game. While he isn’t able to get Minhyuk away from his game long enough for a shower, he does manage to prevent Minhyuk from peeing into an empty water bottle.

(“But Kihyun! I can’t leave my computer!”

“I don’t care, Lee Minhyuk. Go to the bathroom.)

So while Minhyuk doesn’t smell like pee, he  _ does _ smell like sweat and grease. But as usual, everyone else cares and Minhyuk really doesn’t.

It results in him walking into school the day after winter break, smelling like absolute  _ garbage _ .

“Kihyunnie!” Minhyuk shouts, racing down the hall as he spots Kihyun by his locker. “I finished the Overwatch–”

He’s cut off by Kihyun pushing him away, fingers clamping down on his nostrils. “I know! I was there! Why do you still smell like shit?”

Minhyuk pouts. “No, ugly, you didn’t see! You were already asleep!”

“Whatever. I told you to shower last night before I left. Why didn’t you shower?”

Minhyuk frowns, lips pulled into a tight line. “Didn’t have time. Did you know capuchin monkeys lean themselves by peeing on their hands?” He turns his head to the side and sighs under his breath. “God, I wish I were a capuchin monkey.”

Kihyun’s brows furrow in confusion, lips curled. “What?”

Minhyuk looks back at him. “Nothing!”

“God,” Kihyun begins, “you’re so fucking gross.”

“Yeah,” chimes a voice from behind them, deep and throaty. “It’s kinda gross, hyung.”

Kihyun turns around to find Kim Mingyu, arm tossed around Wonwoo’s shoulders as the pair lean against a row of lockers. 

Mingyu nods in agreement. “To be honest, you kind of smell.”

Kihyun puffs his chest out, moving to stand in front of Minhyuk. “Oh yeah? Well, not as bad as your grades smell, Kim Mingyu!”

Mingyu’s eyes widen in confusion, hands played out in defence in front of him. “Chill, bro. I was agreeing with you.”

Wonwoo, still standing beside him, nods in wide-eyed agreement. “Yeah.”

“Whatever. Only  _ I’m _ allowed to be mean to him.”

Minhyuk rolls his eyes as he leans down to nestle his chin into Kihyun’s shoulder from behind him. “That’s rude, ugly.”

Kihyun ignores the way his heart thuds and his face flushes as Minhyuk’s face draws closer to his.

“Only  _ I’m _ allowed to be mean to him. Not you guys. Only me.”

Mingyu stares. And blinks.

He turns to Wonwoo who raises an eyebrow. And then they’re both turning to look at Kihyun, and back at each other, this time exchanging some indecipherable look.

“Alright then, hyung,” Mingyu drawls out, a smirk plastered across his lips as he tugs on Wonwoo’s arm.

Wonwoo flashes him a knowing grin before the two turn their backs and disappear down the hallway.

Kihyun hates his friends.

/

Their last year of high school is monumental for Kihyun. 

It’s the year of realizing things.

Minhyuk’s taller now, taller than Kihyun. His frame is also a bit more filled out, now more a lanky boy with big hands rather than a mass of too-long limbs. His eyes still sparkle maniacally when he laughs and his mouth still looks too big for his face, but Kihyun thinks he actually likes it.

Kihyun also determines he really likes Minhyuk’s smile, because everytime he watches Minhyuk burst out laughing – shoulders hunched, mouth open, eyes scrunched – he also feels that same racing in his heart, positively  _ giddy _ .

He thinks he might actually  _ like _ Minhyuk.

Mingyu and Wonwoo tease him relentlessly when he admits it one night, drunk off of too many shots of vodka in Mingyu’s basement. 

“Go confess, hyung,” Wonwoo sniggers, arms crossed as he leans in the doorway, the next morning, as Kihyun nurses a hangover. “Go tell Minhyuk you’re in loooove.”

Mingyu cackles, chin nestled into Wonwoo’s shoulder from behind him. “Bro, he’s whipped.”

Kihyun glares at them as he takes an aspirin. “I’m not in love with him, dumbasses. I just like his smile.”

Mingyu gives him an unimpressed glance. “Yeah, okay, hyung. You talked about a lot of things you like. I distinctly remember you saying something about him being . . . what was the word . . . ‘hot’.” He finishes the sentence with a flourish, and Wonwoo cackles.

He hates them both.

They all eventually graduate high school, Kihyun falling more and more in love with Minhyuk’s smile every day.

“Hey, Kihyunnie,” Minhyuk mumbles one night, face pressed into his pillow, “I feel like you and I,” he rolls over, splaying a hand out in the air as if projecting an image, “have a great future ahead of us.”

Kihyun snorts as he rubs his freezing toes against Minhyuk’s shins. “I doubt it. You and I barely managed to keep that lemonade stand afloat.”

Minhyuk shoots him a glare that Kihyun can feel burning into the side of his face, even in the dark. “Fuck off, ugly. I was gonna make it big then, if only you weren’t such a goody-goody.”

Kihyun’s mouth opens, a scalding retort on the tip of his tongue, before Minhyuk rolls over, long arms wrapping around Kihyun’s waist, and words seem to fail him. Minhyuk’s hands radiate warmth as his fingers graze the sliver of flesh that pokes out from Kihyun’s sleep shirt.

“But I guess I like you or whatever,” Minhyuk yawns, face nuzzling into Kihyun’s chest. “Even though you’re ugly.”

Kihyun ignores the feeling of a butterfly unraveling in his chest and focuses on willing away the blush in his cheeks.

(it doesn’t leave)

/

Kihyun considers it fate when he and Minhyuk both make it into Seoul University’s School of Business.

“Hey, ugly,” Minhyuk groans as he heaves another box through the door of their dorm room, “which bed do you want.”

Kihyun pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a knuckle. “The one next to the window.”

Minhyuk snorts. “Easy escape route for when I bring a hot boyfriend back for . . .” He doesn’t finish his sentence, instead opting to waggle his eyebrows suggestively.

Kihyun throws a stuffed hamster at Minhyuk’s head and ignores the sound of his own heart breaking.

/

Living with Minhyuk, Kihyun discovers, is absolute  _ hell _ .

He should’ve known moving in with the boy he’s liked for the past three years might be hell, but he was never prepared for the full  _ intensity _ of it. 

Minhyuk’s morning voice, raspy and throaty, his sleeping habits, the way he bites his lip when he stays up late at night studying – they all leave Kihyun even more of a mess. 

By their second year, Yoo Kihyun is in love with Lee Minhyuk.

/

“Hey,” Minhyuk whispers, long legs wrapping around Kihyun’s as they lay together. It’s midnight and they have class tomorrow but Minhyuk never shuts up and Kihyun never stops humoring him.

Kihyun groans. “Minhyuk, you have your own bed, stop coming into mine.”

“But it’s _cold_ in my bed,” Minhyuk whines, pouting. “And you’re warm.” He slinks an arm around Kihyun’s waist, pressing their bodies together.

Kihyun’s heart rate accelerates and his fingers tingle. He coughs. “And you smell. Go shower.”

Minhyuk whines loudly, the sound high and needy, and Kihyun tries to not pop a boner. “Kihyunnie! I just did something amazing and you don’t even want to hear about it!”

Kihyun freezes, nose wrinkling. “If this is about how you tried to dry shampoo your dick or something–”

“No!” Minhyuk interrupts, his voice insistent. “Even better! I got us jobs!”

Kihyun blinks. His mind takes a moment to process the information, and then he’s sitting up to suddenly, Minhyuk nearly goes toppling off the side of the bed. “What do you mean?” He asks, ignoring Minhyuk’s indignant splutters. 

Minhyuk smoothes a hand over his hair, shooting Kihyun an irritated look. “I – Lee Minhyuk – got us interviews for jobs at a small startup company as sales associates. Blue Moon Systems.”

Kihyun frowns. “What do you mean? We haven’t even graduated.”

“Well,” Minhyuk hums, pushing Kihyun back down as he tries to snuggle back into the warmth, “we’re in our last year, so they’ don’t really care. And it’s also a pretty small company.”

Kihyun’s brows furrow suspiciously. “How small?”

Minhyuk smiles and blinks innocently. “You and I would be the only sales associates.”

Kihyun’s hand slaps over his forehead as he groans. “Lee Minhyuk, I swear to god–”

“They’re paying us, though,” Minhyuk interrupts, smile glinting. “And think about it – actually having prior work experience by the time we graduate.”

Kihyun gnaws on the inside of his cheek at that. It really  _ would _ help having work experience in an actual business setting.

“Alright,” he finally responds, turning to look at Minhyuk. “I guess that’s actually a good idea.”

Minhyuk cheers silently, his shirt riding up his stomach and exposing the flat planes of faintly defined abs. Kihyun gulps and looks away, cheeks red.

/

The screech of runners along their curtain rail is the only prelude to both a sudden influx of light into Kihyun’s dorm room and Minhyuk’s rather rude awakening.

Their interviews had gone rather well, especially considering they were the only people applying. As it turns out, not a lot of college graduates like working for tiny startups that could very possibly not make it in the market.

“Hey, dumbass,” Kihyun calls over his shoulder, straightening his tie in the mirror. “Wake up.”

Minhyuk’s head pops out from under his covers. “Okay.” And then he retreats back under the covers.

Kihyun turns around with an exasperated whine. “ _ Minhyuk _ , I mean it. It’s the first day and we can’t be late.”

Minhyuk’s head pops back out. “Okay, I’m up.”

Kihyun watches as Minhyuk throws the covers back and stretches, his legs flying up and fingers extending towards the ceiling. And then he’s curling back up on his bed, eyes slipping shut.

“Lee Minhyuk!” Kihyun groans, hands planted firmly on his hips. “Get the fuck up or I’ll personally kill you.”

Minhyuk cracks an eye open and glances at Kihyun. “That’s not very nice of you, ugl–” He stops, words faltering as both his eyes open, scanning Kihyun’s body. “You’re wearing a suit?” His voice cracks and his eye twitches a little.

Kihyun raises and eyebrow. “Yeah? We’re supposed to?”

“Oh,” Minhyuk croaks back, clearing his throat as he climbs out of his bed. “Okay, I’m up.”

Kihyun sighs and turns back around. 

It’s past eight by the time they leave, rushing out to the parking lot, laptop bags in hand. Minhyuk’s tie is crooked and his suit jacket is on inside out, but at least they’re in the car.

A fifteen minute drive later, they find themselves outside of a white, three-story office complex. 

“This looks terrifying,” Minhyuk mutters as he climbs out, brushing his pants. “I have to work for . . . a corporation.”

“It’s a startup, Minhyuk,” Kihyun sighs, rolling his eyes. “It’s not that deep.”

As per the instructions they were given from the CEO, Son Hyunwoo, they take the elevator up to the top floor. 

It’s a relatively new office, with plush blue carpeting, clean, white-washed walls, and long, skinny hallways. 

At the end of the corridor on the third floor is an oak door with a 9x11 paper taped to it, “BLUE MOON SYSTEMS” scrawled in black sharpie.

Minhyuk steps forward first, pushing the door open as Kihyun follows suit. 

The door opens to reveal a receptionist desk, a very bored looking man sitting there with a phone tucked between his shoulder and ear as he files his nails. His eyes flit up, narrowing, before he’s hanging up the phone quickly and straightening.

“Hello,” he starts, tone monotonous. “How may I be of assistance?”

“Kihyun! Minhyuk!” Booms a loud voice, followed by the telltale sound of footsteps drawing nearer. Kihyun turns his head to find Hyunwoo walking towards them, a wide smile on his face. “Hello! We were just waiting for you guys so we could start the meeting!”

Kihyun takes one look at Hyunwoo and suddenly, he feels very overdressed. Hyunwoo is standing cheerfully, dressed in jeans and a loose, white tee, and when he looks back at the receptionist’s desk, he finds a tall, gangly man in jeans and a sweatshirt.

“You might want to dress more casually from now on,” Hyunwoo adds. Kihyun looks down at his pressed suit, silk tie, and shiny black dress shoes. Minhyuk snickers.

“Let’s get to the meeting,” the receptionist drawls, twirling a pen between his long fingers as he picks up a notepad.

“Right you are Hyungwon!” Hyunwoo chimes as he ushers Minhyuk and Kihyun into a room a few meters away. They’re pushed into an open door and into the focal points of five pairs of eyes.

“Hey, we found them!”

Kihyun rubs the back of his neck nervously as they all stare at him. “Hello.”

“Don’t be shy, guys,” Hyunwoo says, giving them a little nudge in the back. “Just tell ‘em your names and ages and favorite season or something.

“Oh,” Minhyuk says. “Alright then. My name is Lee Minhyuk, I’m twenty-three, and my favorite season I guess is oregano.”

Kihyun watches as five people collectively furrow their brows.

“Dumbass,” he hisses, nudging Minhyuk gently in the ribs, “they mean like the four seasons.”

Minhyuk eyes widen in understanding. “Oh! By oregano I mean summer. That’s how I pronounce summer.”

Kihyun rolls his eyes. “I’m Yoo Kihyun and I’m also twenty-three. I like winter. I look forward to working with you all.”

“What’s your height?” Hyungwon quips from his seat by the door, a smug smirk painted across his lips. 

Kihyun sniffs. “Height doesn’t matter.”

The smile on Hyungwon’s face widens and he nods in understanding. “Short, then.”

Kihyun’s eye twitches and he feels Minhyuk toss an arm around his shoulder, laughing nervously as he tugs at his own collar. “Haha! So funny! Please introduce us to everyone here!”

“Right,” Hyunwoo says, stepping forward as Kihyun glares in Hyungwon’s direction. “Over there,” he points to the end of the room where  two boys sit, “we have Jooheon and Changkyun. Our software engineers”. One of them has a round face with small, piercing eyes, and dimpled cheeks; the other has a babyish face with light brown hair. “Hey, Changkyun! Go get them some tea!”

The boy shoots up, smiling as he salutes. “Got it, dad!” And then he’s wrapping his fingers around Jooheon’s wrist and tugging him out of the room.

Hyunwoo turns to look at Kihyun and Minhyuk. “They’re  _ always _ together.”

Then he’s turning to point at a blond boy with muscles that nearly tear his thin tee. “That’s Hoseok, out accountant–”

“Acocuntant?” Kihyun squeaks, imagining the burly man holding a tiny calculator, knees tucked under a desk.

“Yeah,” rumbles a voice behind him, deep and throaty. He turns around to find Changkyun, holding two styrofoam cups in his hands. “He only keeps the job so he can flirt with Hyungwon.”

“Shut up, Im!” Hoseok retorts, the tips of his ears red, before his crosses his arms across his chest and slumps, staring out the window.

Minhyuk ignores them and takes on of the teacups, slurping noisily. “This is good shit,” he says, tipping the cup back as he downs it all.

“Right.” Hyunwoo clears his throat. “Well, I’m the CEO and your guys are our sales department! We’ve all known each other for a while because y’know . . . while Changkyun and Jooheon we’re engineering, we didn’t really need a sales department . . . considering there was nothing to sell.”

Kihyun nods as he takes one of the teacups from Changkyun’s hands. “I see.” He takes a sip from the cup, eyebrows shooting up in surprise the moment the liquid touches his tongue. It’s fruity and sweet, with a slightly salty aftertaste.

“What kind of tea is this?” He asks, tongue flicking over his lips.

Changkyun smiles. “Oh, I just boiled some gatorade.”

/

They’re led back outside where Hyunwoo proceeds to show them to their desks, all of them located in the same room.

“So see,” Hyunwoo says, pointing to the corner of the room. “That’s where Hoseok works, so we call it the accounting department. And over there,” he swings his arm around, pointing to the other end of the room, “tha’s the engineering department. They get a lot of room because they make too much noise.” He turns, pointing to the center of the room, where two identical desks are pushed together. “And this is the sales department!”

The desks are dark brown, with two filing cabinets lined up next to them, and a cabinet on the other side.

“Nice,” Kihyun says, dropping his bag onto the desk as Minhyuk follows suit.

Hyunwoo claps his hands, rubbing his palms together. “We set out some donuts for after the meeting in the break room so you can head there and then Hoseok will give you guys a couple clients!”

Minhyuk’s fingers wrap around Kihyun’s wrist, and Kihyun shudders at the feeling of warm fingers on cool skin. He ignores the way his heartbeat quickens as Minhyuk waves to Hyunwoo and drags him to the back, flinging a door open as they step into the break room.

“ _God_ ,” Minhyuk whines, fingers already pawing through a box of jelly donuts, “thank god they’re feeding me.”

Kihyun stares as Minhyuk shoves two whole jelly donuts into his mouth, red jam dripping down his chin. Minhyuk smiles cheekily and Kihyun gets a sight full of chewed up donut.

“Gross, Minhyuk,” he groans, nose wrinkling in disgust as he sidesteps to pull open the second box of donuts, scanning the contents in search of powdered donuts.

The box winds up empty and he turns to the side to find Changkyun sitting at one of the small table, legs crossed, as he chews a mouthful of food noisily.

“Hey, kid,” Kihyun calls, eyes narrowed, “did you eat all the powdered donuts?”

Changkyun shakes his head.

“Then what’s that on your pants?”

Changkyun swallows the mouthful and answers, without even bothering to look down, “that’s cocaine.”

Kihyun wants to quit already.

 


	2. Chapter 2

“Train him.”

Kihyun blinks, watching as Hyunwoo paces in his office, hands behind his back. The office is so small he can only take about three steps before he has to turn around and it’s giving Kihyun a headache.

“What do you mean,” Kihyun starts, lips pursed, “train him?”

Hyunwoo runs a hand down his face. “Look, you guys are our sales team but we need our engineers to be able to communicate with our clients and quite frankly, we can’t always depend on Jooheon for that.”

“But you still want me to train Jooheon?” Minhyuk asks, brows furrowed.

“Yeah I –” Hyunwoo rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. “I didn’t realize that if we don’t get them to understand how to discuss their software, it’ll be harder to sell it. Jooheon talks with people fine, he just doesn’t grasp strategies on how to approach clients that are already working with other systems. Changkyun, on the other hand,” he mutters as he turns to Kihyun, “Changkyun is a handful.”

Minhyuk grins. “I like Jooheon. He and I get along well.”

“I mean,” Kihyun starts, hands clasped, “I like Changkyun but I don’t thin–”

Hyunwoo smiles, nodding vigorously. “Perfect!”

And he looks so happy and hopeful that Kihyun can’t find it in himself to say no.

 

-

 

Kihyun hums as he thumbs through a stack of files on his desk, courtesy of Hoseok.

“These,” Hoseok heaves, dropping another stack on Minhyuk’s desk, “are the clients Hyunwoo wants you to talk to. The ones marked in blue are the more important ones.”

Minhyuk’s eyes glimmer. “So how do we work this? And should we apply Baumol's theory of sales revenue maximization once we hit a certain quota?”

Hoseok blinks. “What.”

“Ignore him,” Kihyun sighs, “and quite honestly, Baumol’s theory wouldn’t even properly apply to a small startup like this.”

“Kihyun, you ignorant slut,” Minhyuk says, banging his fist on his desk. “Baumol’s theory can be adjusted to apply to whatever business there is!”

 

-

 

“Alright,” Kihyun breathes, tie loosened, hair mussed. “Let’s try it one more time.”

It’s eight at night and he’s still sitting in the office, across from Changkyun, teaching him about sales.

They’re still on introductions.

Changkyun screws his face up. “ . . . Hello today you are?”

Kihyun can’t hear the rest over the sound of his own hand slapping his forehead. “Why can’t you say hello properly?”

“Because it’s important!” Changkyun whines, shaking his shoulders. “I can’t talk to someone who determines whether or not my software hits the market! It’s like talking to your future but face-to-face.”

Kihyun groans, dropping his head down to bang it against the desk. “Okay,” he sighs, calming himself. “One more time.”

 

-

 

“Hey,” Changkyun murmurs, fingers hooked over the edge of Kihyun’s desk as he squats. “Do you think Mike Wazowski winks or blinks?”

Kihyun rolls his eyes as he looks away from his computer. “Don’t you have work to d–”

“I think it’s a blink,” Minhyuk hums from his computer, half a cheese stick hanging out of his mouth. “Seems like a blink.”

Changkyun grins. “I feel like it probably is, but–”

“Changkyun, go work on the software and practice saying hello,” Kihyun cuts in, glaring.

He gets a pout in return. “You and Minhyuk are so different . . . it’s hard to imagine the both of you living together.”

Kihyun’s eye twitches. “First of all, I was an honest child and Minhyuk was not. That’s the only reason we’re,” he sniffs, “ _different_.”

Minhyuk shakes his head with mock disappointment. “I met this heartless piece of shit in elementary school –”

Kihyun’s mouth pops open in offense. “I have a heart!”

“It’s not his fault,” Minhyuk continues, face split into a maniacal grin, “he used too much No More Tears shampoo in 2003. Hasn’t felt any emotions since then.”

Kihyun throws a paper clip at Minhyuk’s face, cheeks reddening. “Stop making fun of me, Minhyuk!”

Changkyun hums contemplatively, chin resting on his fingers. “You guys have been friends for a while then, huh?”

“Unfortunately, we’ve known each other since we were eight,” Kihyun sighs.

“He’s just bitter because my lemonade business was better than his.”

“Was not!”

“Was too!”

Changkyun’s eyes flit between the both of them. “Why was yours better, Kihyun?”

Kihyun places a palm over his chest. “I used fresh, _real_ ingredients and I actually gave my customers clean cups.”

“A little dirt never hurt anybody!” Minhyuk interjects. “And besides, I still did better than you!”

“Because some people think a messy kid is cuter than a clean kid! That’s not my fault!” Kihyun pushes his glasses up.

“You’re just jealous of my success, ugl–”

Hyunwoo steps out of his office, clapping his hands and effectively cutting of their conversation. “Hey guys! I have a meeting with a possible client so I need my sales team and one of my engineers with me!”

Jooheon bolts up from his seat faster than Kihyun can blink, rushing up to wrap his hands around Hyunwoo’s bicep. “Take me!”

Kihyun stands, pulling his laptop bag out from underneath the table. “Is it one of my clients or one of Minhyuk’s?”

Hyunwoo shrugs. “Not sure. It’s for . . . Starship Enterprises?

Kihyun clicks his tongue and nods. “Yeah that’s one of mine.”

Minhyuk quickly scrambles to his feet. “But if it’s an important client shouldn’t I also go?”

Kihyun shoots him a glare, laced with venom and a threat. “It’s _my_ client. We don’t need you.”

They stand there, scowling at each other from across their desks, the room filled with tension.

“Damn,” Hyungwon drawls, “still carrying that lemonade rivalry, I see.”

“I don’t know what that is,” Hyunwoo says, eyebrows drawn together in confusion, “but Minhyuk’s right. This client is really, _really_ big and I think if we bring both of you it’ll show we really value their business.” He nods, as if further verifying the point.

Kihyun sighs, shoulders sagging, and nods. “Fine. I mean, that kind of makes sense.”

Hyunwoo smiles, turning around, and Minhyuk takes the opportunity to stick his tongue out in Kihyun’s direction, waggling his fingers mockingly.

Kihyun wonders how he ever wound up falling in love with someone as stupid as Lee Minhyuk.

 

-

 

A ten-minute drive out into the city finds them sitting at a small cafe, anxiously hunched over a small table as they wait for the client.

Hyunwoo drums his fingers on the table, looking over his shoulder every five seconds to stare out the window nervously.

“You’re going to burn a hole through that door,” Kihyun quips, flitting over the mockups Jooheon has pulled up on his iPad.

Hyunwoo’s cheeks burn a bright red and he quickly turns back around, opting to pull a menu off of the table to thumb through the laminated pages.

A few minutes pass in a tense silence, wracked with distress and anxious double-checking.

“God,” Hyunwoo sighs, leaning back in his seat as he stares at the picture of food in the menu, “I could really go for a quickie right now.”

Three pairs of eyes fly wide open, jaws dropping as their heads snap up.

Minhyuk stares for a good ten seconds before he seems to snap out of it, shifting into a suggestive smirk. “Oh, damn, Hyunwoo,” he purrs, laying his palms flat on the surface of the table as he leans forward, fluttering his lashes. “Is that how you deal with stress?”

“I swear to god” Kihyun hisses, glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose as he looks around. “Hyunwoo, that’s so inappropriate I –”

“What do you have against quickies?” Hyunwoo interrupts, brows drawn together in confusion. “They’re so good! Especially those mushroom ones.”

A silence follows.

Kihyun stares.

“. . . It’s pronounced quiche, Hyunwoo.”

Hyunwoo blinks once. And again. The glazed look in his eyes clears a bit. “Oh. Oh! Yeah . . . that makes sense.”

They stare at him for another thirty seconds as Hyunwoo looks back down at his menu, teeth gnawing into his lower lip.

“Oh my god,” Jooheon finally groans, breaking the silence as he leans over to press his forehead against the cool surface of the table, “I was _so_ close to pulling out my Bible.”

Minhyuk pouts for a bit. “And here I thought my new boss was a freak.”

Kihyun pulls a disgusted face. “I swear, Lee Minhyuk, you grow more and more disgusting –”

He’s cut off by the sound of the bell above the door jingling, the conversation at hand forgotten in favor of the four of them quickly scrambling to their feet as a short woman walks through the doorway.

She looks around, sweeping obsidian locks out of her eyes as she cocks a hip.

“Ms. Yoon?” Hyunwoo tries, stepping forward as he sticks a hand out somewhat uncertainly.

Her gaze snaps to him, eyes narrowed before her face splits into a wide smile. “Mr. Son!” She stalks forward a few steps, heels clicking intimidatingly against the wooden floor. “Please, call me Bora! It’s really a pleasure to meet you,” she gushes, shaking his hand with more force than Kihyun imagines would be necessary for someone as small as her.

By the time they’re all seated with steaming mugs of coffee and a small platter of _quiches_ , Jooheon has his mockups up and running.

“So see,” Jooheon mutters, pushing his brown locks out of his eyes, “it’s a . . . reinvention of sorts.” He smiles pathetically, mouth opening and closing as he searches for words to say.

Kihyun swoops in, pushing a file out across the table. “We have state of the art software as well as a fresh, new, creative approach that’s definitely going to pull some heavy weight with the younger crowd.”

Bora crosses her arms across her chest, leaning back in her seat as she tongues the inside of her cheek. “Walk me through why I should sign with you. We already have good software and it works with our crowd.”

This is where Minhyuk shines. “I think,” he hums, leaning over the table, elbows propped on top of the table, “it’s more profitable if you sign with us in terms of the stock options you’ll have if and when we hit it big.”

Bora’s eyes practically gleam. “Stock options?”

Minhyuk’s smirk widens, eyes sparkling as he leans further across the table. “ _Oh, the stock options._ ”

 

-

 

Within a half hour, Bora has them scheduled for a meeting with the CEO of Starship Enterprises and has her signature neatly scrawled over the first stack of paperwork.

“We look forward to working with you,” she says as she stands, brushing a strand of hair over her ear, and walking out.

Minhyuk groans, stretching his arms above his head and curling his fingers into fists. “God, that took a while.”

“Right, well we have to go,” Kihyun mutters as he stands and rolls his shoulders back.

Jooheon pouts as he looks up, brows furrowed. “Why?”

“Some of us,” Minhyuk sighs, massaging his temples, “namely Kihyun, have a stick up our ass and refuse to skip a single seminar.”

“We’re not fucking up our senior year, Minhyuk!”

Minhyuk glares at him, shoving a stack of files into his bag with more force than is necessary.

“That’s smart,” Hyunwoo nods, arms crossed over his chest. “Your hours are flexible so don’t worry too much. You guys will usually set up your own sales meetings.”

Minhyuk sighs dramatically, tossing an arm around Kihyun’s shoulders. “Kihyun is a little smart sometimes.” He turns his head to the side and smiles, holding Kihyun’s gaze.

Kihyun’s throat grows dry, palms sweaty at the weight of Minhyuk’s arm around his shoulders.

Minhyuk is so close, Kihyun could count his lashes if he wanted to, even in the dim lighting of the cafe. It’s like Kihyun can almost feel his heart thudding, pounding with a force that threatens to burst out of his chest. Minhyuk’s hand shifts so his fingers curl around Kihyun’s shoulder as he leans in and Kihyun bites down on his lip.

“Unfortunately, Kihyun is also annoying.”

Kihyun breathes again when Minhyuk steps back.

“Shut up.” It comes out wobbly and unsteady and Kihyun has to stop the feeling of warmth that creeps up his cheeks as Minhyuk grins again.

He snatches up his laptop back and straightens his glasses, ignoring the prying look Jooheon gives him.

“See you guys tomorrow.”

 

-

 

Kihyun has learned to lay out consequences before he ever acts on an impulse.

An automatic pros and cons list of sorts.

He likes to imagine the world as a scale, one that he can balance using logic.

For the past two years, he’s had a pros and cons list of Lee Minhyuk, and in these past two years, he’s discovered that the cons are seemingly never ending.

  1. _Lee Minhyuk is loud._



Especially so when lectures end and he throws his arms around Kihyun’s neck as they walk out.

“Piggy back me,” Minhyuk whines, knees digging into Kihyun’s sides as he hooks his chin over Kihyun’s shoulder.

Kihyun sucks in a sharp breath when he feels Minhyuk’s breath ghosting over the shell of his ear.

“Now!” This time Minhyuk’s voice resembles a shriek, drawing the attention of everyone around them.

Kihyun sighs, surrendering as he hooks his hands at the bend of Minhyuk’s knees.

  1. _Lee Minhyuk is a blanket hog._



Kihyun hates watching movies with Minhyuk.

“He looks like you,” Minhyuk cackles through a mouthful of popcorn as he shoves another handful into his mouth. “Exactly the same.”

Kihyun squints at his laptop, watching as the man in the orange jumpsuit bounces around, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “No.”

“Yes. You’re Vector.”

Kihyun’s mouth pops open, a retort ready on the tip of his tongue, but then Minhyuk tugs hard on the blanket draped over both of their shoulders and Kihyun nearly goes toppling off the end of his bed.

“Give me back my blanket,” Kihyun whines, fingers curling around the plush fabric.

Minhyuk shoots him a smug grin. “Don’t wanna, _Vector_.”

_iii. Lee Minhyuk is disgusting._

“Hey, ugly,” Minhyuk says, wiping his chip-encrusted fingers on his tee, leaning back on his bed, “should I drink this water? I don’t want to go get another bottle. And it’s not like water expires anyways.”

Kihyun looks up from his notes to where Minhyuk is pointing to an uncovered glass of water on his nightstand. It’s been there for the past four weeks.

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Minhyuk, no.”

Minhyuk smiles at that, eyes gleaming with mischief. “Minhyuk, _yes_.”

 

Kihyun sometimes truly wonders what went wrong the day he started to like Minhyuk, because he is really the stupidest, most infuriating person alive.

And yet, as Kihyun watches Minhyuk get dressed for work, there’s one pro that always outweighs every con he can ever think of.

  1. _It’s Lee Minhyuk._



 

-

 

“Hey,” Kihyun mutters as he walks into the break room, rubbing his eyes sleepily, not bothering to look up. The coffee machine whirs when he clicks the button, pouring in a cup of water from the sink. He presses a palm flat to the counter as he reaches up to rummage through the cupboard, eyebrows flying up when his fingers find nothing.

“Minhyuk,” Kihyun begins, eye twitching with irritation as he turns around, “did you forget to start the dishwasher?”

“No, why?” Minhyuk replies, sipping coffee from a vase.

Kihyun stares.

Hoseok gurgles back a laugh next to Minhyuk, head tipped back. “Minhyuk didn’t know what dishwashing tablets were so he gave up.”

“I mean,” Hyunwoo says, rubbing at his upper lip as he shoves a spoonful of what looks like ice cream into his mouth, “it’s not a big deal.”

Kihyun sighs. “You’re eating out of a pot, Hyunwoo. A pot because Lee Minhyuk doesn’t know what a dishwashing tablet is. And it’s too early for ice cream.”

Hyunwoo shrugs and smiles. “It’s never too early for ice cream. But we didn’t have any ice cream so this is mayonnaise and black olives.”

Kihyun stares.

Hyunwoo just smiles and shovels another mound of mayonnaise and black olives into his mouth.

Kihyun shakes his head as he leans down to search for dishwashing tablets under the counter before a piercing scream ricochets in the office.

He startles, nearly banging his head on the counter as the door flies open, revealing a very annoyed Changkyun holding a plate full of what appears to be Jell-O.

“Hoseok!” He pouts, sticking out the plate in his hand. “I told you to stop doing this!”

Hoseok doubles over in laughter as Kihyun squints, making out the very distinct form of a stylus trapped inside the Jell-O.

“He does this all the time,” Hyungwon drawls, gesturing vaguely with his hand. “It’s like his hobby.”

“It’s annoying!” Changkyun whines, bouncing up and down a little.

Hoseok just smiles widely. “Wow, you’re right I should really stop it.”

“Yeah.”

“I won’t, though.”

 

-

 

“More Jell-O?” Kihyun hears a pitying voice over his shoulder as he rakes his fingers through a mold of yellow gelatin, turning to find Jooheon casting them a sympathetic look. “Changkyun here,” Jooheon juts his chin out, lips pursed, “has had this happen to him more times than you could count.”

Kihyun lets his fingers sink into another pile of Jell-O, pulling a single pushpin out. “Wonderful. This is a repeating offense.”

“Hey Kihyun,” Minhyuk calls out from across the room. Kihyun turns to find him draped around Jooheon’s shoulders, nuzzling into his cheek. “I think Jooheon’s working on a new launch mockup.”

Kihyun’s brows draw together as he watches Minhyuk ghost his fingers along Jooheon’s chin. He clears his throat and quells the burn in his chest. “Yeah, okay. That’ll probably help with talking to bigger clients.”

Minhyuk either doesn’t hear him, too engrossed in tracing Jooheon’s jaw while the latter blushes, or chooses to ignore Kihyun. Either way, it twists one of the butterflies in Kihyun’s gut and pushes it up his throat, an uncomfortable feeling settling into his chest.

 

-

 

“So,” Changkyun hums, pulling a chair out and plopping himself down across Kihyun, “what’s up?” He props his chin up in both hands and leans into them, blinking innocently at Kihyun.

Kihyun looks up from his phone screen and bites off another chunk of granola bar as he looks around. They’re the only ones in the breakroom, so he doesn’t know why Changkyun feels the need to sit with him specifically.

“Nothing,” he replies, looking back down at his granola bar.

Changkyun leans even closer and grins. “We have a sale. Hyunwoo said you have to take me.”

Kihyun nearly slams his face through the table. “No. Absolutely not. You don’t even know how to greet people.”

“Hello.”

Kihyun straightens up and crosses his arms. “Changkyun, no offense – actually, full offense – you suck at sales.”

“It’s either me or Minhyuk.”

Kihyun narrows his eyes. That changes things. “First tell me who the client is.”

“Oh,” Changkyun smiles, “it’s Seodaemun Prison. They need a new security system.”

Kihyun nods and drums his nails on the table. “Why do you need to go?”

Changkyun pulls a face. “Do you think you understand my software? Do you even know what a CPU is?”

Kihyun smacks Changkyun across the back of the head. “Don’t be rude.”

“Ow,” Changkyun mutters, rubbing the back of his head. “Anyways, I need you to come with me just to help guide me along, but I need to see the condition of their current security system so I can make adjustments to ours.”

Kihyun tilts his head. “Fine. That kind of makes sense. And I don’t want to send you into a prison all alone.”

“Yeah,” Changkyun mumbles, cracking his knuckles, “jail is no fun, I’ll tell you that.”

“Oh,” Kihyun’s eyes widen and he straightens. “You’ve been to jail?”

Changkyun nods solemnly. “Once. In Monopoly.”

 

–

 

“Where you goin?” Minhyuk asks, rolling his chair back as Kihyun picks his jacket off the back of his chair and shrugs it on, eyes narrowed.

“None of your busi–”

“To the prison!”

Kihyun nearly yells at Changkyun, but the younger looks so innocent and happy, he can't bring himself to say anything.

“Yeah,” he mutters, sticking files into his bag, “our new client is Seodaemun Prison. Although I’m not sure why Hyunwoo’s letting Changkyun tag along on this one. He can’t greet clients right and he looks like you could break him with a single push.”

Changkyun scoffs and crosses his arms across his chest, nose pushed into the air. “I’ll have you know I can bench press over six million and ninety-two nanograms.”

Kihyun blinks. “That’s less than two pounds.”

“Yeah, well,” Changkyun leers, squinting, “sounded better the way I said it.”

“Damn,” Minhyuk whistles, low under his breath, “a whole two pounds? You’re already twice as strong as Kihyunnie.”

Kihyun opens his mouth in protest before Changkyun interrupts him.

“You see these arms?” Changkyun mutters, lifting his arm to flex his biceps. He looks up with a smirk. “Wii Sports Resort.”

“Shut up,” Kihyun hisses through gritted teeth. “I just need to help you make this sale and then I have to go to my lectures in the North Building.”

“Speaking of those lectures,” Minhyuk starts with an overly innocent smile. “I can’t come today.”

Kihyun eyes narrow and he crosses his arms. “And why not?”

“I have to stay and help Jooheon with a sales pitch.”

Kihyun draws his head back, lips thin. “Okay,” he mutters, biting down on lips lip as the jagged edges of jealousy run along the borders of his heart, threatening to tear it.

Changkyun gives him a curious look, eyebrows furrowed into an indecipherable expression. His gaze flits between Kihyun and Minhyuk, then back to Kihyun. A rush of understanding sweeps through his irises as he reaches out, curling his fingers around Kihyun’s hand. When Kihyun looks back at Minhyuk, he finds Minhyuk’s eyes trained on their hands, a strange look on his face.

“We’ll see you later, Minhyuk,” Changkyun calls out over his shoulder, tugging Kihyun out of the door, and Minhyuk doesn’t respond, instead staring at their hands.

“Changkyun,” Kihyun whines, tugging at his hand as he’s tugged to the elevator, feet slipping on the waxed floors. “Let go, I can walk there on my ow–”

“You like Minhyuk, don’t you?” Changkyun interrupts, turning on his heel as he backs Kihyun up against one of the walls. “You like him.”

Kihyun stares. “Wh – I –”

“Just tell me.”

A sigh slips past Kihyun’s lips and he averts his eyes. “I mean, I guess. Maybe.”

Changkyun grins. “How cute.”

And then he tilts his head to the side and gets this contemplative look on his face.

Kihyun considers about getting a new job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> helo this is rly dumb and i know it seems like a filler chapter but trust me...it had to happen ok!! im setting the stage! hfkjhdjf as always ! comments and kudos are much appreciated!!

**Author's Note:**

> hi! hkjhfd this is gonna be a very lighthearted fic bc i cant write these boys into angst it tears my heart apart :( although i guess the mutual pining thing is kind of angst.... anyways! i hope to post a chapter every week!
> 
> kudos and comments are appreciated!


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